Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Walt Disney World)
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was once an attraction at the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World, but despite a long protest against its closure, Mr. Toad's journeys to nowhere in particular were put to an end in 1998 and the ride was replaced the following year with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. However, a statue of Mr. Toad can be seen with many others at a pet cemetery outside the Haunted Mansion. The ride's story was based on Disney's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, one of the two segments of the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. It Corey Burton did every voice at the attraction, except for the usage of audio from the film. The park now sells two shirts representing Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, made for the 1971 Collections set. Attraction Description Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was one of the Magic Kingdom's opening day attractions on October 1, 1971. Although it was modeled after the Disneyland attraction, it had some unique characteristics that set it apart from its California counterpart. The most obvious was that the Florida incarnation had two separate boarding areas. The vehicles (in the form of Jalopies) in each boarding area were on separate tracks that followed different paths, so riders would get a slightly different ride, depending on where they boarded. Like its counterpart at Disneyland, it was not a thrill ride, but it was not slow and quiet like most dark rides. It made sudden turns and often the vehicle would move at full speed towards an obstacle, which would move out of the way at the last second. At one point the vehicles on different tracks would head directly towards each other, giving the sense of an oncoming collision. It was a very stylized attraction and resembled a cartoon more than any other Disney ride. It contained highly ornate plywood characters and sets that were very reminiscent of the multiplane camerawork featured in many Disney films. Despite the ride's popularity and many protests, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride closed on September 7, 1998 and was subsequently replaced with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. While minor tributes to the ride can be found in Walt Disney World, including paintings of Mr. Toad and Moley within The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and a statue of Toad in a pet cemetery outside of Haunted Mansion, traces of The Wind in the Willows characters within Walt Disney World are minimal. Efforts have been made to reconstruct the ride, including a 3D virtual recreation at virtual-toad.com. The two tracks of the Walt Disney World version of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride didn't pass through all of the same show scenes. Thus, each track gave riders a completely different set of scenes to pass through. Track 1 On Track #1, riders passed through rural English countryside upon leaving Toad Hall, coming face to face with a few cows along the way. After passing through a small room with several warning signs, guests made a turn into a central plaza. Traveling around the turn, the vehicles passed a policeman signaling riders with his whistle. Guests then made a right hand turn into the courtroom as the judge declared Mr. Toad guilty. Upon making a right hand turn, the vehicles entered several jail cells. After winding through the cells, guests emerged out into a dark scene, passing by a shootout between police and gunmen (using red lights to simulate gunfire). Several of the police barriers then moved aside revealing a railroad crossing, complete with a ringing bell. The gate then moved aside, and vehicles made a right hand turn onto the "tracks." Vehicles traveled along the railroad tracks, until getting hit by a train (with riders seeing the headlight of the "locomotive"). A door then opened, revealing the "Hell" scene. Afterwards, guests went through a door back to the boarding area. Track 2 From the boarding area to the plaza, Track #2 passed through two scenes not seen in Track #1: Toad's trophy room, and a Gypsy camp. After rounding the plaza, instead of entering the courtroom, guests continued on and entered Winky's Tavern. The vehicles made a right hand turn and guests could see the Weasels hiding out in the Tavern among the ale barrels. Following this, guests emerged into the night countryside. Passing by a small house, the vehicles reached a railroad crossing with ringing bell. This gate moved aside, and vehicles made left hand turn onto the railroad tracks. Like on Track #1, the headlight of the locomotive was visible before the train hit the riders. The "Hell" scene on this track was a mirror image of the Track #1 "Hell" sequence. Sources & External Links *Wikipedia Category:Former attractions Category:Former Walt Disney World attractions Category:Former Magic Kingdom attractions Category:Former Fantasyland attractions